An agreement was reached for parts-sharing arrangements between AMC and Packard and the new 320 cu in (5.2 L) Packard V8 engine and Packard’s Ultramatic automatic transmission would be used in the 1955 Nash Ambassador and Hudson Hornet models. From 1958 to 1962, Rambler and the Metropolitan were the only brands of cars sold by AMC. The first cars were the 1965 models. These were a longer Ambassador series and new convertibles for the larger models. During mid-year a fastback, called the Marlin, was added. The 1966 Marlin and Ambassador lost their Rambler nameplates, followed by the 1968 Rebel, and were thereafter badged as “American Motors” products. Ambassador Sales increased significantly, however the dated designs of the Rambler Americans hurt sales that offset any gains from Ambassador sales. The new models shared fewer parts among each other and were more expensive to build, with quality control problems and Consumer Reports negative ratings for AMC’s Safety sales slowed
